perry



July 24, 192&

J`. W. PERRY SHEET HEATING FURNACE 'Filed May 20, 1927 :s Sheets-Shet 2 J. W. PERRY SHEET HEATING FURNACE s Shets-Sheet 5 Filed May 20. 1927 Vtnesses:

Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES" JOHN W. PEBBY, OF WHEELING, WEST sEEET-EEATING femme::.

` Application filed May 20,

This invention relates to sheet or plate heating furnaces and has for its objects the provision of a novel furnace of this class in which the sheets are mechanically handled and piled whereby an even heating end soaking of the sheets results.

Another object is to provide a furnace having the novel sheet handling mechanism hereinafter described and illustrated in the accom anying drawings.

In t e drawings Figure 1 is a scctional plan of a heating furnace constructed in accordance with this invention. r

Figure 2 is en` end elevation thercof.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line III- III of Figure 1.`

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letter A designates. the frnace as a whole, which is provided with a com-` bustion chamber 2 and heatingchamber 3. The heating chamber 3 has a heating floor 4 and a stacking and soaking floor 5. The stacking floor 5 is approximately six inches lower than the heating floor 4 so that the sheets will fall one on to of .the other when pushed or fed from t e heating floor onto the stacking floor, thereby forming stacks. i

The front or entering side of the heating chamber 3 is provided adjacent one end with an enter-ing opening 6 through which the sheets to be heated are fed onto the heating floor 4, and an exit` opening 7 is I a; provided in the frontside of the heating chamber 3 adjacent the opposite end and in line With the stacking and soaking floor 5, through which the heated and soaked stacks of sheets are discharged from the furnace.

The furnace as a whole is above the floor level of the mill in which it is installed and an elevator latform 8 is provided for elevating or li ting the sheets up tothe level of the heating floor 4. i i

The platform 8 is carried by 'a post 9 which is reciprocablv mounted in a hollow 'plunger 10 o a fluid pressure cylinder. 12`

and normally held in its extended position by a co'l spring 13. A stop 14 is provided on the furnace adapted to be engaged by' lugs 15 on the platform 8 to stop thejplatform at a position where its 'top face is on a line with the heating floor`4.

The places or' sheets are adapted to be` fed into the heating chamber 3 by a pair of 1927. Serial No. 198914.

push-rods 16 which` have` their free ends supported `on the heating` floor 4 and their ot er, ends pivotally Secured to e lever 17 Secured to a rock shaft 18. The shaft'lB is provided with a crank` lever 19 which carries an Operating lever 20.' The lever 20 is pivotally Suspended from the lever 19 and is adapted tobe engaged by a rigid: arm 21 carried by the plunger 10 andxto be raised by the arm 21 to cause the lever 19 to rock the shaft 18 and operate'the rods le. p

The rods 16 are provided with a sheet engagng lug 25 adjacent their reer ends and a second sheet engaging lug 26 at their forward or free, ends.` The lugs 25` are -adapted to engageand feed the sheets from the platform 8 into the' heating chamber '3 while the lugs 26 are `ada ted` to. engage the first sheet simultaneous y with the engagement of the lugs 25 with a second' sheet so es to advance the first sheet transversely acrossthe heatingfloor 4 asthe'second sheet is entered. w

A three-way valve 22 is provided for controlling theflow offluid to the cylinder 12 and is provided with levers 23 and`24,for Operating the valve. The lever 23, when tripped, will open the valve to admit` fluid under pressure to; the cylnder 112 and the lever 24, when trpped, will open thevcylmder to the atmosphere to permit fluid to escape from the cylnder and lower the platform8. v

In operation, when the platform 8 in its lowermost position, which isgin line with the floor, the operator will slidea sheet or pack of sheets onto the platform 8 and the sheet or pack of sheets will engae and trip i the lever 23, therebyadmitting uid' to the cylnder 12 and raising the plunger 10, post 9, andplatform 8` until/che lugs 15 on the platform 8 engage the stop 14 on, the furnace. The platform will then remain stationary while the plunge" 10 will continue to rise, causing the `arm 21 to engage 'the lever 20 and rock the shaft 18 which will in turn operate the levers 17 and rods 16, to feed the sheet or pack through the opening 6 and onto the heating floor 4.

As the 'plunger 10 continuesto advance the platform 8 is permitted' to remain stationary due to the compression of the spring 13;` When the plunger 10 has reeched the end of its travel the lever '24 of the valve is adapted to be tripped by a'stop 28 on the plunger 10 so as to open the cylinder 12 to the atmosphere and permt the plunger and the elements operated thereby to ,return to normal position, ready to receive another sheet or pack of sheets.

lVhen the second sheet is fed onto the heating floor 4 and the first sheet advanced, the two sheets are adapted to be moved longitudinally along the heating floor 4 by pushers 29 a distance suificient to permit a second pair of sheets to be entered and after the second pair of sheets are entered the two pairs will be pushed longitudinally along the heating floor, etc., this operation being repeated until the sheets are pushed off the floor 4 and onto the stacking floor 5 where they will form stacl-:s B.

The pushers 29 are slidably mounted on elevating guide members 30 which normally support the pushers in slots below the level ofthe heating floor 4 so as not to interfere with the sheets being fed into the furnace. The guides 30 are connected by links 31 to reciprocating rods 32, which rods are connected by links 33 to levers 34 carried by a rock shaft35. The shaft 35 is provided With a crank lever 36 which is connected to the plunger rod 37 of a fluid pressure oylinder 38.

The pushers 29 are provided` with sheet engaging lugs39 which are spaced so as to engage the several sheets to be fed longitudinally along the heating floor 4.

The 'pushers are connected at their rear ends by links 40 to rocker arms or levers 41 carriedby a rock shaft 42, which shaft is provided with a crank arm or lever 43. The lever 43 is in turn connected by a link 44 with the plunger rod 45 of a fluid pressure cylinder 46.

A treadle operated four-way valve 47 iS provided to be operated by the operatorto admit fluid under pressure to the cylinder 38.

hen the operator desires to move the sheets or packs of the furnace forwardly, he will tramp on the treadle operated valve 47 so as to admit fluid under pressure to the cylinder 38 and thus raise the guides 30 and pushers 29 so that the lugs 39 will be elevated sufliciently to engage the sheets. hen the plunger of the cylinder 38 has reached a predetermined point it will uncover port 48 which is connected to the cylinder 46 so that fluid under pressure will then be admitted automatically to the oylinder46 and cause the pushers 29 to move forwardly and push the sheets longitudinally of the heating floor 4. The floor 4 is adaptedto contain two rows of three sheets from end to end and when the two rows of sheets are completed, further operation of the pushers 29 will push the foremost plates onto the stacking and soaking floor 5 where 'they will be stacked or piled in two separate piles, forming stacks.

The length of time necessary for the sheets to be moved through the furnace is suiicient to hoat them and the time elapsing before the stacks are formed is suflicient to permit the stacks to soak whereby all the sheets will be evenly and thoroughly heated.

The stacling floor 5 is provided with a pair of rails 50 on which the stacks of sheets are supported, and which also serve to facilitate the movement of the stacl s of sheets out of the furnacei A pushing ram 51 extends through the rear side wall of the furnace in line with the stacl s B of sheets on the staclnng floor and is adapted to be reciprocated by a fluid pressure cylinder A four-way valve 53 havin an Operating lever ;34 is provided fer controlling the flow of fluid under pressure to the cylinder 52.

After the stacls B of sheets are heated and soaked the operator will operate the valve 53 to admit fluid to the cylinder 52, which will move the ram 51 into the furnace and push the stacks of sheets out of the exit opening 7. The operator will then reverse the operation of the valve 53 to return the ram to retracted position.

The sheets discharged from the furnace will be heated thoroughly and ready for further mill operation.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto since various modications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A heating -furnace for sheets and plates, comprsing a heating chamber,

means for feeding at least two sheets transversely into said heating chamber in spaced relation, means for simultaneously feeding said sheets longitudinally of said heating chamber a distance equal to the width of said sheets with a step by step movement said first named feeding means being adapted to be operated between each of the step movements of said second named means so as to feed other sheets into the path of said second named means and immediately back of the sheets previously fed into said chamber thereby forming two rows of sheets, and said second named means being adapted to feed said rows of sheets longitudinally of said chamber, a stacking floor in said chamber at a point below the main level of said heating chamber, said second named feeding means being adapted to feed the sheets of said rows of sheets suecessively onto said floor forming StLClS, and mechanical means for .feeding said stacks of sheets from said stacking floor.

2. In a heating furnace for sheets and plates, having a heating chamber of a width and length suflicient to accommodate 'said heatin a plurality of sheets, said heating chamber being provided with the usual inlet and outlet openings, means for feeding the sheets into said furnace, said means comprising a. Vertically movable receiving platform `adapted to be moved from the floor level upwardly to the level of the inlet opening in said beatin chamber, a fluid pressure cylinder for rasing and lowering said platform, means operable by the sheets as said sheets are positioned on said platform for controllng the operation of said cylinder, at least one feedin sheets transversely rom said platform into furnace, and means` operable by said ey inder for Operating said arm after said platform has been raised to the` level of said nlet opening in said chamber.

3. A heating furnace for sheets and plates, comprsng a heatin chamber having a main heating floor an a stacking and soaking floor at a lower level than said arm for movng the` heating floor, means for feeding at least two sheets into said heating chamber transversely of said heating floor, one in advance of the other, and other means for feeding said sheets longitudinally of said ,heating floor and onto said stackin and soaking floor, whereby successive s eets will be stacked, one on top of the other, said means oomprising a plurality of reciprooating bars normally maintained below the level of said heating floor, sheet engagn lugs on said bars, means for raising sai bars so that said lugs will engage the sheets on said heating floor, a manually operated control for said means, and other means forreciprocating said bars to move said sheets longitudnally of said heating floor, said last named means being controlled by bar raising means.

n testimony Whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

` JOHN W. PERRY. 

